Gas Pipe Problems
Our electricians want us to bring in a plumber to shut off the gas that feeds the light fixtures AND saw off the pipes that hang down a few inches past the ceiling in every fixture. Questions: We have at least nine to saw off if not more. Isn’t this going to take forever and…
Our electricians want us to bring in a plumber to shut off the gas that feeds the light fixtures AND saw off the pipes that hang down a few inches past the ceiling in every fixture.
Questions: We have at least nine to saw off if not more. Isn’t this going to take forever and won’t the plumber charge us an arm and a leg? Also, will we be destroying our ability to hang other types of light fixtures later?
Unfortunately, we don’t have enough old fixtures to cover the pipe length.
Also, anyone recommend a plumber for this? We have to do it this week, which is crazy.
Oh, I think our posts crossed in the ether. And isn’t it interesting that the Intertubes are still so full of ether in this day and age?
Now I’m worried the electricians are going to say they can’t leave the pipes and have to put in 4 inch boxes or they won’t pass the electrical inspection. Anyone have any advice to counter this with?
BrooklynGreene, that’s very interesting your place didn’t have bathrooms. Did it have sinks in the bedrooms? I’ve seen that in a few Fort Greene houses.
It’s interesting to think of the permutations and style changes these houses have gone through. I doubt our place ever had fancy fixtures. Gas lights can look amazingly primitive and stark – sometimes just burners on the end of pipes. Our electric fixtures are very utilitarian.
David,
Why am I not surprised. Hhhhh…but seriously, you were baiting me with that 24/7 propane comment and y-o-u know it! 🙂
Yes, yes, sad but true, I too have friends (and family–in facts in Bucks!) who have little or no consciousness about(their) energy usage and general consumption…and possibly have a little (nay, a lot of) hostility to the threat of being told “no” or feeling like they might be told what to do or what’s best/better…a hostility to any perceived threat to their perceived comfort. When asked why every light is on in the house (including closets, powder rooms, the basement, TVs, stereos, you name it, everything! when we’re sitting, quietly talking in one room in the house), the response is that they can afford this level of utility bills so it’s fine. Sometimes the only acknowledgement of any consciousness of the issues might be a momentary guilty look or a better, a slight eye flicker to say, “I can’t believe she’s drumming up this one again…but still, maybe I AM wrong but I don’t want to let her know I know that”.
Basically, they’re very much wrapped up in “lifestyle” without realizing to what extent, are continuously running after satisfaction after satisfaction, much of which is either empty or does not pan out…formulaic, sad (to me) and a little hard to have to be around since I’m so empathetic. Despite the good face everyone tries to put on it, there is still a not-so-passing veil of disappointment, boredom, depression in their eyes. At some point buying and consuming doesn’t do it any more even if it takes you around the world.
A very good friend of ours, now passed, was always running away it seems. He managed to get through it by constantly traveling.
One question, what is a “hi performance mustang”? Is it a car that gets 80 mpg or a horse that needs little maintenance?
🙂
I expected nothing less from you BrooklynGreene. I’ll tell them. They also have about 6 cars including a hi performance mustang and a pickup truck that they hardly use. And they are Democrats.
Our stair hall hanging fixture is affixed in just that way described above. A threaded nut was put on the end of the gas pipe as an anchor for the pendant fixture.
David,
Those neighbors of yours in Bucks are needlessly adding to their carbon footprint burning propane (that has to be trucked in to them) day and night. Hhh…I’m sure it looks swell but…
Interesting how gas was originally delivered for interior lighting in many places: coal (which was used at the time for heating) was heated in an outdoor furnace just enough to force out the burnable gas(es) which was piped into the house.
Lighting has a very interesting history. Through the 1800’s into the 20 century, there were constant advances. It seems the technology and the fads were constantly changing. The big ones that changed house interiors were piped in gas (I think our house from 1850’s definitely was NOT built with piped gas–the workman who were able to thread all those gas pipes in and then replaster did a pretty good job. Much better than work done these days!).
When our house was new, I would imagine the first occupants relied on oil lamps and candles. But there were many oil lamp innovations throughout the years, a number of fuel changes which required different kinds of lamps/burners/technology. Meanwhile, oil and especially kerosene lamps were used well into the 20th century. Alcohol was also used but mostly for cooking purposes. A friend of mine who passed away a number of years ago sadly grew up in the 30’s and 40’s in Indiana with kerosene lighting in their house. They had some electricity but it was very weak. They used it for the radio and a couple of other things, maybe one or two bulbs–but the main lighting was still kerosene.
The big change to house interiors after gas was the addition of electricity of course (aside from all the plumbing that was added to houses that predated all that indoor plumbing like ours). Early Edison bulbs were pretty dim. There are many hybrid gasolier/electroliers around. You’ll see them with their up-facing gas burners and their down-facing electric bulb sockets. They’ve usually been converted to electric wiring if you see working lights. I generally find them to be ugly. There are a good number of repros out there, equally ugly–or let’s say not my taste.
All these changes to technology has sometimes been a detriment to the older houses (houses that predate hot-water return radiators, gaslighting, electricity, completely plumbed bathrooms…) so they can sometimes be a little worse for wear because of all the alterations. Oh, well. Modern conveniences have their aesthetic costs, no?
Plus those pesky cable wires! They’re the new nuisance. Such a mess outside and in!
Yeah, this guy’s stuff looks really, really good.
Arkady, you have a working gas light in the house? When can we come over to gawk? (Kidding.)
Years ago BUG told me that it costs about $75 a year to run my gas lamp (probably $100 now) – it’s a single mantel. Double would be more & I don’t know how the open flames compare.
The gas pipes are also helpful if you want to hand a ceiling fan.
He’ll do any size drop you want.
Ahhhh. Thank you, this sounds elegant.
Oops, a 30 inch drop. Sorry, haven’t moved into Grand Canyon.